Gfycat: the trailer to the trailer

Hollywood studios could be losing millions before their movies are even released—all because its trailers are too long, says Richard Rabbat, founder and CEO of Gfycat, a user-generated GIF platform.

Rabbat says “snackable moments,” or shorter trailer clips, are the way to retain viewers and help studios make more money. The company reports that the average movie trailer runs about 2:30—but viewers only watch about 1:49. That means studios are failing to keep people’s attention.

Gfycat allows users to take longer videos, create shorter clips or GIFs, then share them. The California-based company has has already created “snackable moments” to promote major blockbusters, including Despicable Me 3, La La Land and Power Rangers. Rabbat predicts that movie studios will need to update trailers in three ways to capitalize on and survive the rapid changes in how people consume media.

Trailers will be interactive.

Rabbat says in the future, people won’t just view trailers. They will want to interact with trailers online.

Trailers will be turned into countless bite-sized morsels.

Rabbat doesn’t think trailers will become obsolete. Instead, more shorter, interactive clips will trend online and turn up in unexpected places, increasing viewership and anticipation for a film.

Quick trailers will help movies join the cultural conversation before they’re even released.

Shorter clips and GIFs can help generate buzz far before a movie is released.